


The Best Route To Recovery

by RichardGraysonPercyJackson



Series: I'm Sorry [21]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Anorexia, Bulimia, Eating Disorders, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-01 09:06:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18332942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RichardGraysonPercyJackson/pseuds/RichardGraysonPercyJackson
Summary: Jason and Tim begin their plan to get Dick to help himself.Damian demands they include him





	The Best Route To Recovery

The best way for Dick to recover was for him to lead it himself.

That didn’t mean Jason and Tim and Damian couldn’t help him along somewhat. For obvious reasons, they couldn’t wait until Dick felt like cutting himself to help him.

So they improvised.

Dick looked up, watching Jason with wary eyes as the other joined him on the back patio, cigarette in hand.

“You shouldn’t smoke,” Dick said halfheartedly, the novel he’d been reading still in hand though his attention was clearly on Jason.

“Not smoking,” Jason told him, holding up the cigarette before reaching down to roll up his shirt sleeve. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dick sit up a little straighter. Become a little more attentive.

“What  _ are  _ you doing?” Dick asked cautiously.

“Burning myself,” Jason replied bluntly, not looking at Dick and instead gazing down at his forearm, pretending to decide the best place to burn.

“For what reason?”

Jason shrugged. “I just feel like it.”

He hadn’t heard Dick move so he was just barely surprised when the acrobat was suddenly at his side, plucking the cigarette from between his fingers and tossing it aside.

“You shouldn’t do that,” Dick said quietly.

“What else is there for me to do, Dickie?” Jason asked. “I’m feeling worthless.”

“You’re not worthless, Jason,” Dick declared. “You just need a distraction.”

Jason shook his head. “There’s nothing I could use as a distraction.”

“Sure there is.” he looked scared and desperate and as much as Jason knew he should  _ probably _ feel bad, he knew this was the best way to help Dick.

The best way to prompt him to wanting to recover.

“What do you suggest then?” Jason asked as he pulled his packet of cigarettes out of his pocket. He wasn’t surprised though mildly disappointed when Dick took the box and threw it in the trashcan on the back porch.

“We could watch a movie,” Dick offered. “Or just sit together.”

“Sitting in silence lets my mind wander,” Jason told him, letting Dick lead him back inside. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah,” Dick answered. “Yeah I would. So movie it is.”

Jason shot Tim a thumbs up when they passed him and the younger gave a small nod. Jason’s job was complete for the next few hours and Tim didn’t have anything he had to do for his part until dinner.

 

……….

 

Dick wasn’t eating dinner. He was pushing it around his plate. Which Tim understood, Dick had an eating disorder.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

“Not hungry, Dick?” Tim asked.

Dick looked up from his plate. “Oh,” he said quietly, setting his fork down. “Oh, um, no. No, not really.”

“Alright,” Tim said, putting his own fork aside.

Dick frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Well if you’re not going to eat then I won’t eat,” Tim declared. “You’re on a diet to lose weight, right?”

“No?” Dick asked. “I just don’t want to eat.”

“That’s fine,” Tim said, shrugging. “I’m trying to lose weight though.” he glanced at Jason who’s expression said he needed to keep going so he looked back at Dick. “I tried the whole, forcing myself to throw up thing and that wasn’t fun.”

“Tim,” Dick murmured. “That’s not...that’s not healthy.”

Tim only shrugged. “I’m fat,” he said bluntly. “I need to lose weight.”

“What you need to do is eat,” Dick declared.

Tim shrugged again. “You’re not eating,” he said. “And I’d hate for you to feel left out.” he was about to go for the guilt side of things and he felt a little bad about it as he said, “It makes me feel worse about myself if there’s one person not eating.”

“No, Tim, I…” Dick sighed quietly, gazing forlornly down at his small plate of spaghetti before looking back at Tim. “Would you eat if I ate?”

“I guess,” Tim replied.

Dick looked down at his food before grabbing his fork and taking a bite. By the way he melted, just slightly, into his seat, Tim wondered just how long it had been since Dick had eaten.

Tim waited a little bit longer before he started eating as well. He continued to watch Dick and was pleased when the acrobat finished his plate.

It was going well. It was just the second day but everything was going well.

Tim and Jason shared subtle glances with a short nod. It was only one meal, but Dick was eating. It was a start.

 

……..

  
  


Damian cornered them later while Dick was in the shower.

“I know what you two are doing,” he declared, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re manipulating Grayson and I won’t allow it.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Alright short stuff,” he said. “So what do you propose?”

“Coitus.”

Tim choked on his coffee. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

Damian huffed. “ _ Sex _ , for you uncultured swine,” he declared, placing his hands on his hops.

“You’re suggesting Dick have sex?” Jason asked. “To make him less suicidal?”

“Yes.”

“With who?”

“I presume one of you half-breeds would be enough,” Damian replied.

“Oh god,” Jason murmured.

“Damian,” Tim tried gently. “We’re not...we’re not trying to get him to push his problems away and push them down.”

“Why not?” Damian asked and oh, Jason realized that hadn’t explained anything to him. “Father does it.”

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Jason said. “B is kind of part of the problem here.”

For a moment Jason thought Damian was going to lunge for his throat but in a strange moment, the thirteen year old seemed to get ahold of himself, expression returning to neutral.

“Then I wish to help in whatever it is you have planned.”

Tim and Jason shared glances. “I don’t know if that’s-”

“You will  _ not  _ leave me out of this,” Damian declared. “It was  _ your  _ idea to bring me here, Todd, so you  _ will  _ let me help.” his expression softened, just slightly. “I will not let Grayson suffer anymore.”

Jason was quiet for a moment. “Alright,” he finally said. “How do you want to help?”

 

………..

  
  


Dick’s mind was blank.

Well, not really. But the thoughts circling around his head were dark and not nice. His head felt heavy and he suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe, like he was suffocating, like he was-

“Richard?”

Dick jerked, barely noticeable to the untrained eye. Damian noticed but said nothing, remaining in the doorway of Dick’s room.

The acrobat pushed himself up on his elbows, trying and failing to force an expression - any expression except for the dead eyes - onto his face.

“Yeah?” he asked. His tone was lifeless. He felt lifeless.

“May I sleep with you?” Damian asked.

Dick blinked. “I...what?” Damian had never bluntly asked before. He always crawled into bed and threatened to gut Dick if he tried to cuddle with him.

“I have been having...dark thoughts lately,” Damian said slowly and he noticed how Dick shuddered. “I was wondering if I could sleep with you. I feel...I do not struggle with them quite so much when I’m with someone else.”

“Um...sure, I guess,” Dick replied, scooting over in bed to allow Damian to crawl in with him.

“Thank you,” Damian said, lying down and facing Dick. “If you would like to cuddle with me tonight, you may.”

“Al-alright,” Dick said quietly, lying down. After a moment or two, Damian’s breathing evened out and Dick figured he was asleep.

He stared up at the ceiling. Waiting for the thoughts to return.

But...they didn’t. Damian’s breathing was even. Peaceful. Pulling Dick towards sleep. He tried to fight it for a few moments before he finally drifted off as well.

 

………..

 

“So far everything is working,” Tim told Jason quietly after Dick and Damian had gone to sleep.

“We just have to keep gently pressing,” Jason said. “Until Dick takes over.”

“He’ll do it subconsciously,” Tim pointed out. “Helping us find distractions.”

“Which will, in turn, distract  _ him _ ,” Jason said, nodding. “Nothing can fuck this up.”

“Bruce could,” Tim pointed out.

“Bruce isn’t here.”

“Bruce can be here in minutes if he wants to be.”

Jason hummed. “Don’t forget that that asshole was checking his email. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still thinks we’re all in Gotham.”

“Still,” Tim said quietly.

“Let’s not think on that,” Jason offered. “For now, for the next month, we focus on Dick. Dick is priority number one.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed. “Like he should have been for a long time. We should have noticed a long time ago.”

“If not years ago, then at least before he’d gone so far as to commit suicide,” Jason murmured. “We can’t let him do it again.”

“Agreed,” Tim said. “We need to show him how much we care.”

“That’s going to be easier said than done.”


End file.
